Pick-up lunch at Chola

If you're in the mood for a filling Indian lunch, hit Midtown East's Chola. 

I chose the Chicken Chutneywalla.  Normally, I would resist a mango dish because it is too sweet, but this had just a hint of mango flavor in a curry sauce with mint and ginger.  You also get Dal (Vegetarian Soup), basmati rice and naan.

For $10, you can't go wrong for lunch and the quality is pretty great (unlike Baluchi's);
but for the price of dinner, head down the block to Dawat.

232 East 58th Street b/t 2nd & 3rd Avenues
http://cholany.com/menu.html

Ninth Ward NYC

We stopped in at Ninth Ward for drinks and bites on the way to Webster Hall to see a show; unfortunately, I forgot to snap some photos, but it is worth a little write-up.  I must say, I've always wanted to try this place...it seems right up my alley since I spent 2-3 times a year traveling to New Orleans on family vacations.  I am certainly passionate about Southern food, and especially Cajun Southern food and drink. 
Getting to your perfectly situated booth or table involves walking down a dark hallway eerily suggestive of New Orleans' voodoo shops with the chachkis showcased behind wrought-iron.  The cocktails were quite impressive, particularly The Bloody, Bloody Mary infused with garlic-basil vodka; but more impressive was the freshly grated horseradish.  I was hesitant ordering the chicken sandwich, but after what else arrived at the table, I was happy I didn't back out.  The Bleu Bayou Burger was tiny and served with spicy praline chocolate bacon and melted bleu cheese, but guess what?  There wasn't any bleu cheese and the chocolate bacon was literally covered in flavorless chocolate and zero praline spiciness.  The 'paillard' chicken sandwich on ciabatta, a fairly plain dish, was at least consistent.  The herb mayo paired nicely with the juicy chicken.  All the sandwiches come with chips, but you can chose thin fries if you shell out $2 extra (it isn't worth it). 

An appetizer special, Gators on Horseback (bacon-wrapped jalapenos stuffed with shrimp and cheese), were a total let-down.  I've had better jalapenos stuffed with plain cream cheese at a pub.  I didn't taste any shrimp, but given the burger was missing cheese, these might have as well.

For happy hour, chicken sandwich or shrimp po-boy (lots of shrimp), Ninth Ward is worth the trip.  It has a cool, dark vibe inside as well as a lovely outdoor patio for warmer weather.

http://ninthwardnyc.com/main.html

A Fork in the Road: Books and Breadboard (Asheville, NC)

I practically grew up most holidays in North Carolina, in both Asheville and Raleigh, where my parents are from.  Every couple years, our family travels to Asheville for a family reunion.  Asheville just used to be a small town in the Blue Ridge Mountains best known as home of the legendary Biltmore House (www.biltmore.com), but has grown in popularity particularly due to University of North Carolina having a campus there.  It is vastly different from how I remember it growing up.  We only visited the Biltmore House during Christmas time and dined at Grove Park Inn; but now it must cater to the diverse crowd the college brings, which means restaurants, entertainment venues, antiquing, outdoor adventures and much more.

The food in Asheville is incredible!  It really perfects the art of Southern cuisine and can hold its own in the ethnic food category as well.  The town has its staples of Tupelo Honey, Corner Kitchen, Early Girl Eatery as lunch spots and the new Books and Breadboard in Biltmore Village.  It is quaintly located inside a bookstore with an open kitchen as well as a patio area with everything made-to-order in front of you.

Chapter 3 - Turkey on pumpernickel with fresh sage and cranraisin mayo, swiss cheese and lettuce.  Every since I was little, I've eaten turkey with jelly.  Sounds icky, but they used to serve fresh turkey sandwiches with sprouts, lettuce and jelly on wheat toast at our athletic club.  It was healthy and gave kids the sweetness they wanted.  This was WAY better!  Fresh turkey, sweet mayo with the rye taste of bread.  Great combo! 

Chapter 4 - Roast Beef on herb foccacia with bleu cheese aioli, roma tomato and arugula.  Heavy, but another perfect sandwich.  Each ingredient played well with the roast beef.  I absolutely loved the Terra chips and homemade slaw of carrots, yellow squash and zucchini.  It made for beautiful and fun colors!

Chapter 13 - Arugula salad with mixed greens, sprouts, julienne veggies, and tomatoes with meats and egg.  This was a fresh salad, but I'm always down on julienned vegetables and drizzled balsamic.  The vinaigrette rocked. 

http://www.booksandbreadboard.com/files/Download/B&BmenuInside%20with%20breakfast.pdf

Coppelia

Brought to you by the brain behind the Yerba Buenas (two of my faves) and Toloache (not a fave), is his Latin diner in Chelsea.  It is what you would expect from a Cuban restaurant with old photos,  pastel colors and semi-shut wooden shutters luring you in from outside.  Of course, being so close to the Meatpacking District and 24/7, it appeals to different crowds, just as Florent did.  Two things I found particularly pleasing were the lighting, not too bright or dark, and the music, at just the right level. 

We showed up on the late side for dinner, around 11pm and the Enchiladas Suizas were warm and filling on this cool night.  I have yet to meet an Enchiladas Suizas I didn't like, although I would have nixed the queso crema and left them with the just swiss cheese.  Too much crema can mute the taste of the tomatillo.  This was a B+.

Pan Con Lechon sandwich with its roasted pork and chicharrons came together beautifully texturally.  Then add some pickled red onions and mojo...yum!  Beware of Coppelia's hot sauce.  It is homemade and HOT (they did warn us)!

Other knock outs: Huevos Rancheros
Bust: Huevos Picaros

A Fork in the Road: Cliff's Old Fashion Hamburgers (Houston, TX)

Back in the day (oh, about 15 years ago), I remember Cliff's on Foutainview being one of the very few inexpensive restaurants outside the loop.  One weekend when visiting, I decided to take to trip down memory lane and head to Cliff's.  Unfortunately, I wasn't WOWed by the burger or fries.  In fact, the Texas burger at McDonalds might be better!  Granted, I probably shouldn't have ordered a turkey burger.

The patty was a thin, discolored mess with the only flavors coming from the mayo, mustard and wheat bun.  Actually, the wheat bun was pretty dang good...if only it had a succulent patty in between.  The handcut fries - greasy and non-edible. 

I might return for a regular burger and onion rings (what they are known for), but Houston now just has too many great burger spots to come back to Cliff's.  Sad.

If the spice is right....Galanga

Sitting off Washington Square Park, Village locals and NYUers all at Galanga for it's well-priced and tasty Thai food.   The atmosphere is lively with music just-above-normal-level and upbeat waitstaff, so I couldn't really complain about the noise level.

Drunken Noodle - Thai street style hot spicy wider rice noodle with chili pepper, bell pepper, Chinese broccoli and fresh basil.  
Tasty and also included asparagus, but didn't have a kick.

Green Noodle - wild rice noodle with thai herbs pesto, celery, scallion, romaine lettuce and egg.  
Galanga's version of pesto pasta which made for an interesting dish (and worth trying), but axe the romaine lettuce.  No one, NO one, likes hot, wilty lettuce.

The lightly fried chicken wings with sweet chili sauce and scallions weren't my fav, but the entrees totally make up any appetizer blunders.  


I would recommend ordering takeout anytime.  The price is right....and the spice.

Back to NYC: La Camelia

Being a Texan, I can almost always be engaged to try a new interior Mexican restaurant.  The defunct Park Slope La Camelia has moved to the West Village under same ownership and it always had positive reviews in Brooklyn. 

The atmosphere is a little bland and what decor does exist, doesn't have any originality.  Everything seems bought from Best Buy or Home Depot.  Note: dark paint and 'mahogoney' furniture does not equal mod (see Nuela in Flatiron, they do it right).

We start with Guacamole en Molcajete.  It is 'made to order', yet not made in front of you, and served on lava rock Molacajete.  Sounds fancy, no?  It was bad.  Very bad.  I'm not shooting for Rosa Mexicana-style, but for $12, it better be pretty damn close.  This probably was made with 2-2.5 avocados, was watery and had TONS of lime.  Yuck!

Luckily, the entrees were good, but far from great and the presentation was nothing special.  Since I was completely turned off from the guac, I went the non-traditional route and ordered fish.

Guachinango (Red Snapper fillet sauteed with onions, capers, olives and fresh tomato sauce)- It was tasty, and the ingredients were there, but there was nothing harmonious about the dish.

Enchilada de Pollo Mole Poblano (rolled corn tortillas stuffed with chicken and topped with Mole Sauce)- Again, the ingredients are there, but nothing pulling them together.

Enchilada de Queso (rolled corn Tortillas stuffed with cheese and topped with a green tomatillo sauce)- definitely the binding of the dish was the best of the three, but was hoping for the tomatillo sauce to have a bit of bite.

One plus: decent chips and salsa

http://lacamelianyc.com/home

A Fork in the Road: Restaurante Tulhas Bar (Sintra, Portugal)

Sitting in the small town of Sintra, right below the National Palace, is Tulhas Restaurant.  This dark, tiled, Medieval restaurant was quite charming as the owner's granddaughter was jumping around shouting in Portuguese that she 'has a new baby sister!'

Aside from the croquettes I had consumed, this was the only bacalau (salted cod) dish I ate...and it was magnificent!  The bacalau was baked in a bechamel sauce with potatoes, onions and served with pao.  Rich, creamy and piping hot!  Most folks think bacalau is too salty, but this was just right.  So much so, that I suggested it to surrounding tables.  As they were closing for the late afternoon, the owner followed me outside, shook my hand and thanked me for coming to his restaurant.  It was me that should have been thanking him.

Here is some interesting history behind Tulhas:  http://www.oocities.org/tomstravel.geo/tulhas.htm

Danji

When you want typical Korean food, you head to 32nd street.  When you want atypical Korean food, and more specifically, Korean tapas!!!!, you head to Midtown West.  Danji is a narrow, dimly lit tapas bar with communal seating up front and small tables towards the back.  I was wondering just how good the food would be after waiting 45 minutes and the answer is......well worth the wait.

Starter: Trio of Kimchi
The dish was good, but not impressive and kimchi should be good, if not great, at Korean restaurants.

Spicy yellowtail Sashimi with jalapeno and sweet & spicy chili pepper sauce.  The yellowtail melted in your mouth.  Sushi-grade quality of 15 East.

Spicy Pork Belly Sliders marinated with a hot chili pepper paste made from red chilies and fermented soybeans and scallions.  Luckily, I got both to myself.  Delicious!

Braised short ribs were dynamite.  You could cut through the meat with a fork...'beef that falls off the bone'

Skirt steak served with a sweet chili dipping sauce.  Not typically a fan of skirt steak, but this was cooked beautifully. 

Danji was a wonderful experience, particularly for a Midtown restaurant, although I did find the pricing a little high for tapas dishes.  Luckily, I was full.

A Fork in the Road: Apeadeiro (Cascais, Portugal)

Outside the buzzing metropolis of Lisbon is Cascais, just one of many suburban areas surrounding the capital.  It is the furthest point on the train and the ride is a lovely stretch of coast.  The early morning weather is glorious...cool temps and not a cloud in the sky and once I arrive, I sit on the beach, next to the fisherman's dock.

Cascais is an old fishing town and remains so, although not as bustling as it once was.  During the early to mid-morning hours, you can catch a glimpse of the fisherman docking the tiny boats and unloading their daily catch.

After two hours on the beach, I decide it is lunchtime and head to the neighborhood behind the main beach and marina.  Avenida Vasco da Gama it is a quaint street of fisherman living in modest apartments and homes near the sea.  This restaurant gem is known for grilled fish and piri-piri (the national hot pepper) shrimp.  I decided to get grilled sea bass served with steamed vegetables and a side of sauteed mushrooms.  I turn to the tables around me and see all the locals ranging from businessmen to families have ordered grilled sardines.  Immediately I regret my decision, but then the whole, grilled fish is placed in front of me and I am no longer upset. 

The fish are grilled with salt and nothing else.  Simple.  Classic and wonderful.  My favorite meal in Portugal.  I've have grilled fish before, but never so fresh.  I've also had steamed vegetables before, but never like this.  These, of course, were steamed with salt water to bring out more flavor.

If I am ever in Lisbon again, I will be heading to Cascais for this meal again.  Maybe even with a side of sardines!